Sick/weak hatchling? Please help

[Galloygallina]

Hello,

We got an incubator about a month ago and set 15 chicken eggs. With the first candleing, we pulled three due to no development, the second check around two weeks, we ended up pulling nine more, and only leaving three. Of those three, one started pipping internally on day 22 in the morning/late the night before and an external pip on day 23/late the night before. The chick finally got out last night (day 24) and this morning looks almost the same- crying, laying down, and wet looking still. It's neck also looks swollen under its chin (something I noticed when it was first coming out of the shell). The yolk sac is fully absorbed, the chick is just not making motions to stand and seems to not be drying out at all. The temperature did drop unexpectedly on the night of day 20 into day 21, down to last seventy. We aren't sure what happened there, but increased the temperature and got it back up to 98/100.

The chick has now been out of the egg (but still in the incubator) for about 12 hours as of writing this. When do I intervene, and when I do, how do I help it? The other two eggs showed no signs of pipping along with this one, and still no signs. I believe this will be the only one to hatch.

 

[Chicken_Obsesser]

@Wyorp Rock

 

[Susan Skylark]

You may not be able to do anything, it may just be weak, deformed, or underdeveloped (also why other eggs didn’t hatch). When it is 10% or less of eggs that’s normal but over half your eggs that made it to the second half of incubation usually means trauma to eggs preincubation or during the first few days. Shipping, heat, cold, and 10 days old at start of incubation are most likely causes. If your incubator is have sudden and prolonged temp drops or spikes that could certainly do it. If that’s the case replace the incubator and also use external thermometers and check them twice daily. As for your poor survivor, euthanasia might be his best option if he’s still struggling this long after hatching, sorry!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry about your chick.

I agree, it sounds like she may not make it. Sometimes when they hatch out really weak like this, they often fail to thrive.
You can however give her 1 drop of Poultry Nutri-Drench twice a day to see if that help gives her a bit of boost. In between, give her a couple of drop of plain water.

If you have photos of your chicks, those are welcome.